


Pen names, Plotbunnies, and Problematic First Dates

by uofmdragon



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 3 Sentence Fiction, Alternate Universe - Bookshop, Alternate Universe - Human, Author, Crazy Fandom Antics, First Date, M/M, Miscommunication, Pen names, Signings, That went crazy and spawned this monster, When plot bunnies strike, alternate universe - author
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-25
Updated: 2014-01-25
Packaged: 2018-01-10 00:07:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1152445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uofmdragon/pseuds/uofmdragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint Barton, author of the well known <i>Kitsune</i> series will be signing books at Books of Fury's Greenville location.  Managers Phil Coulson and Melinda May plan on having extra copies of all his books on hand, including his latest, <i>Winter Winds</i>. Phil Coulson states that the author will be available to sign during regular business hours, but will be taking a break for lunch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pen names, Plotbunnies, and Problematic First Dates

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SevenCorvus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SevenCorvus/gifts), [paperdollkisses](https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperdollkisses/gifts).



> This story is for sevencorvus who wanted a bookshop AU and paperdollkisses who wanted more. 
> 
> Thanks to Feelschat for helping me come up with Clint's pen names. All thanks to everyone that follows me on tumblr that suggested names for Clint's fans, especially lazyscience who came up with name that I used in this.
> 
> Thanks to Kultiras aka Pyroblaze18 for betaing this thing and also for coming up with the title.
> 
> Also, due to an increase in corrective comments, I'm asking that anyone who finds an error, contact me privately (through tumblr asks, email or IM if you have my information). While I normally don't mind the occasional corrective comment, lately it's gotten to be too much. I do have my works beta-read as much as possible, but I'm not perfect. I do this for fun, and getting comment notifications only to find corrections waiting for me is making me not want to post to AO3 anymore. I urge anyone who feels the need to correct people to consider the method that they are going about it. You don't know what the author's day is like, they might be having a bad one and may not be in the best of mental states for such comments. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

"You’ve got him coming here?" Phil asked, staring at Melinda.

"Yes," Melinda said, smirking in a subtle way. "He’s doing a book signing tour. I figured I’d put an offer in."

"I’m surprised the Barnes and Noble’s didn’t snag him," Phil said, considering the larger chain store that was half an hour away.

"Apparently, he likes the smaller stores," Melinda replied.

"That’s nice."

"Why does the boss look he’s about to freak out?" Skye asked as she stepped into the room.  

"His favorite author is coming for a signing," Melinda replied.

"Oh, Steve Rogers?" Skye asked.

"That’s his second favorite," Melinda said.  "His favorite is Clint Barton."

"Ooo, he’s hot, have you seen his author’s picture?” Skye asked.

"Phil has."

"Wait, Clint Barton is coming here?" Skye squeaked.  "I can’t wear this, I have to find something better.  Ugh, I need to put on makeup." Skye scurried out of the room.

"Think we should tell her he’s not coming for another month or two?" Phil asked.

"Nah, it looks like we’re going to be slow today, it’ll be entertaining."

*

Clint’s fingers flew over the laptop keys as he worked on his next book.  Well, his next book under one of his pen names. Clint Barton wrote Urban Fantasy, and did not write anything for Young Adults nor Paranormal Romance.  However, C.B. Hawk and B. Archer did write those books.  For some reason, whenever he was on a signing tour, the ideas for Young Adult series started flowing. But that could have been because the series revolved around Kate Bishop, the Amazing Hawkeye, and her friends, the children of various circus performers, as they traveled around the country.  

"Are you going to be able to be Clint in time for your signing?" Natasha, his friend and agent, asked from the driver's seat.

"I’m always Clint."

"No, you change slightly when you’re writing as Hawk or Archer," Natasha replied.

Clint sighed. “Is this your way of saying I need to take a break before we get to town?”

"Yes," Natasha nodded. "They’re buying us dinner after all."

"Let me get to a good spot," Clint said, turning his attention back to the computer.

Natasha sighed as they continued on the road.

*

"Why did I agree to this?" Phil asked as he studied himself in Melinda's front mirror.  He fiddled with his hair, trying to hide that his hairline might be receding.

"Because you love me," Melinda called down.

"You basically arranged for me to take Clint Barton on a date," Phil pointed out. He frowned, because yeah, that had made it worse. He quickly fixed it before Melinda came back downstairs.  He sighed, eyeing himself, and tried to consider if he looked alright.

Melinda huffed suddenly from behind him.  "You look fine."

"I do?" Phil asked, looking at her.  "Cause…"

"It's a casual dinner," Melinda stated.  "You look fine."

Phil sighed.  "You don't think that I should put on better pants?"

"Casual dinner, the jeans are nice.  They make your ass look good," Melinda said.

"Okay," Phil agreed, glancing down at the dress shirt and sweater combo.  He still wasn't sure about this, but he trusted Melinda.  They headed outside.  

*

Clint glanced over at Natasha when her phone rang, but took a sip of his beer and his eyes back to the television.

"We're in the bar, actually," Natasha said.  

Out of the corner of his eye, Clint saw her turn on her stool toward the entryway.

"At the end closest to the television. Clint's attempting to be manly and watch sports," Natasha said to her person on the phone.

Clint debated flipping her off, but Natasha was fast. She'd probably grab hold of his finger and make it hurt.  

"Ah, I see you," Natasha said, hanging up the phone.  She poked him, managing to find that spot between the ribs, so that it hurt.

Clint turned to glare, but Natasha was already off her stool.  He turned and found her with an Asian woman and a white man. Clint couldn't help but stare a bit.  The man was older than Clint and handsome, with an easy smile.

"Clint," Natasha said sharply.

Clint's eyes cut to her and he realized that he'd been caught staring.  He glanced back to see the man was blushing and if that wasn't a pleasant surprise, then Clint didn't know what was.  He grabbed his drink and went over.

"Melinda, this is Clint," Natasha said, introducing him to the woman first.

"Hi," Clint said, offering his hand.

"Hello," Melinda said, shaking it briefly.  "So glad you could make it."

"I am, too," Clint agreed, glancing over at the guy.

"And this is my business partner, Phil," Melinda added.

"Hello," Clint said, offering Phil his hand. He met those blue eyes and smiled, because those eyes were even better close up.

"Uh… Hi," Phil said, taking Clint's hand. "I hope you haven't been waiting too long."

Clint stroked his thumb over Phil's hand, and watched Phil's blue eyes widen slightly.  Phil didn't pull his hand away though, which delighted Clint.  "Not too long and I'm thinking it might be worth it."

"Clint," Natasha said.

Clint turned, letting Phil's hand slip from his grasp.  "Yes, Natasha?"

"Behave."

"I was just saying hello."

Natasha sighed.  "C'mon, let's go see if they have our table ready."

Clint fell in step behind Natasha, and ended up walking next to Phil.  He glanced at the other man, and met his eyes briefly.  Clint couldn't help but smile.

*

Dinner had been surprising, Phil decided as they sat around finishing their drinks.  He'd been the subject of Clint's attention most of the night.  In fact, he was fairly sure that he was being flirted with by the author.

Clint Barton was, hands down, amazing. He was intelligent, had a smile that lit up his face, and his eye color seemed to change with his mood.  Phil was fairly sure it was due to the change in lighting, but there was something about him. Phil had been caught staring a couple times, which would have been embarrassing, except he'd caught Clint doing the same thing.  

They had debated various topics like the price of ebooks and fanfiction. Surprisingly, Clint was all for it, even when it was his work being ficced. His only complaint was that he couldn't read it. He could and did look at fanart, because some of that was amazing.  Apparently Clint had had an assistant who would find and send him the good stuff.  He loved that people loved the universes that he created so much that they wanted to get involved in it.  Besides, if it got people reading and writing, then did it really matter? Clint was passionate about it.  Of course, then Natasha had revealed that she remembered that Clint's earliest work was primarily Buffy and Robin Hood fan fic.  That had led to Clint admitting that he did archery as a physical hobby, which he needed after staring at a screen for hours.

Clint was currently paying attention to Melinda and Natasha as they talked.  Every so often, he'd say something, and occasionally he'd glance over at Phil and his smile would widen slightly.  Phil had lost track of the topic of conversation, because he only had a limited time to spend with Clint in person and Clint was so very attractive.  

"Phil," Melinda growled, poking him in the side.

He winced, because she always seemed to hit the same spot.  "What?"

"Sorry, he's got a bit of a crush," Melinda stated. 

Phil knew he was blushing, but he turned to glare at her.

"Really?" Clint asked, sounding interested.

Phil turned, trying to say something, but he couldn't seem to get the words out. He wasn't sure if he wanted to deny it or admit to it.

"Well, your author's picture is rather good looking," Melinda said.

"Better looking in person," Phil managed to get out.

"Am I?" Clint asked, his focus solely on Phil again.

"Yes," Phil said with a nod.

"Clint is ridiculously built," Natasha agreed.  "I know we've certainly used him as a model for other book covers."

Clint blushed, ducking his head.  "You're not supposed to tell people that."

"You've been on book covers?" Phil asked.

Clint glanced at Phil. "I'm not Natasha's only client.  She talks me into doing favors for some of her other authors."  Not that it was actually other authors, because he had posed for his own pen name's covers.

"Like?" Phil asked, curious.

"B. Archer," Natasha said, before pausing, because Phil winced at the mention of Archer.  "What?"

"We have a…" Phil stopped and looked at Melinda.  "What do they call themselves."

"Bow-mantics."

"Right, we have a very fervent Bow-mantic who comes to our store," Phil said. "I've read Ms. Archer's work and it's very good. Just…"

"Not your taste?" Clint asked.

"Yeah, plus it always seems like whenever you publish a book, Ms. Archer publishes one on a similar topic," Phil added. "You write about kitsune scamming the dragons of Vegas and she writes about a kitsune falling in love with a human in Atlantic City. It always felt like she was stealing your work and turning it into a romance novel,"  Phil paused to find Clint and Natasha staring at him and then frowned.  "At least to me. I mean, you could be friends and just happen to share resources or something…"

"We are," Clint replied.  "Good friends and I'd be babbling about my next book and it would inspire her."

"She hasn't been doing that lately though," Phil remarked.

"Well, you weren't the first to notice that, so we've been more careful to space things apart," Clint admitted.

Phil nodded.

Natasha yawned.  "Sorry, I'm beat."

"You did have a long trip," Phil said, glancing at Clint.  He didn't seem anywhere near as tired as Natasha.

"She drives," Clint stated, when he noticed Phil's attention.  "I sit back and write."

"It's what he does," Natasha added.

"Obviously," Melinda agreed, before finishing off her drink.  

The others were as well and Phil tossed a few bills to take care of the tip, having already paid for their bill.  They stood and headed out to the lobby, where Clint and Natasha could ride the elevator up to their floor.  Clint seemed content to let Melinda and Natasha outpace him and Phil hung back to keep Clint's pace.

"Thanks for dinner," Clint said.  "Not all the management teams would take us out."

"It's not a problem," Phil replied.  "We like to go a little above and beyond, service wise."

"And that's why I like the smaller guys," Clint said, smiling at him.  "They tend to have nicer people working for them."

"Thanks," Phil said.

"I, uh, I was wondering if…" Clint started, looking at Phil when the reached the lobby.  "Maybe you'd like to continue our conversation upstairs? I'm not quite as tired as Natasha."

"I wouldn't want to keep her up," Phil said, blushing slightly.

"We've got separate rooms," Clint pointed out.

"Still, Melinda is my ride, so I'm afraid I need to leave with her," Phil said, looking away.

"Yeah, sure, no problem," Clint said.

Phil glanced up and the smile that was on Clint's face didn't quite meet his eyes.  

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Clint asked.

"Of course, bright and early," Phil added, as they split up: Clint to the elevators and Phil to Melinda, who was waiting by the door.

"What'd you say to get the sad puppy eyes?" Melinda asked.

"What puppy eyes?" Phil asked.

"The one he's giving you whenever he glances back at you," Melinda explained.

"He wanted to talk more, but I can't, because I'm…" Phil trailed off when Melinda arched an eyebrow at him.  "What?"

"Did he want to talk or _talk_?"

It took him a moment to realize just what she was asking.  "You think he wanted to…?  With me?"

"Yeah, I think he did, better change your mind fast, elevator just got here," Melinda said.

Phil turned, catching sight of Clint who seemed almost sad.

"How many opportunites are you going to get like this?" Melinda asked. "I mean, clearly he's interested."

Phil glanced back at her and he knew what she meant.  He sighed and hurried to the elevator, slipped in just as the doors closed and ended up running right into Clint.

"Phil," Clint murmured.

"I… I changed my mind," Phil murmured.  "I hope that's okay."

"More than okay," Clint agreed.

Phil smiled and realized that Clint's hands were on his hips and that Clint's eyes had dropped to Phil's lips.  Phil licked them, watched as Clint's eyes followed his tongue.

"Not while you're sharing the elevator with me," Natasha stated.

Phil jumped, pulling away.    "Uh, hello again."

Natasha looked amused, but didn't say anything else.  

They reached the floor and the three of them stepped off.  Clint's arm had slid around Phil's waist as he guided Phil to his door.

"Night, Clint," Natasha called.  "Night, Phil."

"Night, Tasha," Clint replied, as he opened the door.

"Night," Phil echoed as they stepped inside together.  

Clint went straight in and Phil followed after.  There was a bag sitting on the dresser next to the TV and a laptop on the table in the corner.

"Already working on your next book?" Phil asked.

Clint turned to look at him.  "I'm always writing… something."

"That's good," Phil said.

"So, uh, in the interest of not wasting anytime," Clint started.  "I don't really want to talk."

"It took me a while, but I figured it out." Phil was not going to mention that Melinda had pointed it out to him.

"So I can kiss you?" Clint asked.

Phil's eyes were drawn to Clint's lips as he nodded.  "I'd like that."

"Good," Clint said, crossing the room to meet him.

*

"That was amazing," Clint murmured as he dropped back onto the bed.  He curled a little closer to Phil.

"Yeah," Phil agreed, turning to catch Clint's lips in a slow kiss.  

Clint moaned into the kiss, sliding an arm over Phil's chest, ruffling his chest hair.  Clint pulled back with a sigh. "So tell me something about yourself."

"Me?" 

"Yeah, I want to know something about you."

"I don't know," Phil said.  "I run a bookstore, there's not much to tell."

"So a mild-mannered bookstore manager," Clint mused out loud.  "No secrets?"

"No," Phil said, quickly.

Clint studied him, because that response was too quick.  He smirked.  "I think you protest too much."

"Do I?"

"You're hiding something, Mr. Coulson. Maybe I should figure it out…" Clint trailed off, as the idea came to him.  "Oh,"

"Clint?" Phil questioned.

Clint leaned in and kissed him quickly, before going over to his laptop.  "I just got this idea and I want to get it out…"

"Sure," Phil agreed.

Clint gave him a grin and got to work, settling into the zone despite his nakedness.  It wasn't going to be a Clint Barton piece, but B. Archer needed another new series since Clint had finished off Jess' tale.  His publisher wasn't demanding another one yet, but Clint knew that it was a matter of time.  This idea had potential and it was flowing like crazy.  

"Clint?" Phil asked, sounding a bit groggy.  "How much longer are you going to be?"

"I'm almost done, you can go to sleep if you want," Clint replied, before going back in.  He knew Phil said something else, but Clint didn't pay attention.

"There, all done," Clint said, closing the laptop.  He was exhausted and looking forward to crawling into bed with Phil.  He turned and found the bed empty.  "Phil?" Clint stood, checking the bathroom, but he was alone.  He glanced at the clock and saw how late it was.  Clint frowned as he slid into the bed to find the sheets cool to the touch. Phil had been gone a while, but Clint found that he didn't blame the other man.  Still, Clint found himself wrapping his arms around the pillow that still held just the slightest scent of Phil as he fell asleep.

*

Phil got in early to make sure everything was in place for the signing.  They had plenty of copies of Clint's latest book and everything looked good. He'd have to thank Grant for all the hard work he must have done when he closed last night.  There was far too little to do to make sure everything was ready and Phil had to work to find something to do to keep his mind off of the previous night.

He'd had fun and thought Clint had enjoyed himself as well… at least until Clint had gotten up and ignored him for hours.  Eventually, Phil had asked if he was going to be done soon and had been dismissed.  He didn't even think Clint had noticed him leave, which had soured the whole evening.  

Phil grabbed some of the paperwork and started working on that.  It didn't need to be done yet, but he could get a head start on it.  

He'd just started on it when he heard Melinda's voice.  "Phil?"

"Office," Phil called out to her.  He didn't have to wait long until she appeared.

"You're in early," Melinda said.

"Yeah, well…" Phil started, trailing off because he didn't want to get into it.  

Melinda arched an eyebrow.

"It was a one night stand, we had sex, I left," Phil replied with a roll of his eyes as he turned back around.  He hoped it sounded casual.

"Right," Melinda said. "So, what really happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Phil replied.  "It ended badly, okay?"

"What did he do?" Melinda asked.

"He just…" Phil shook his head.  "Not today, okay.  I just need to ignore it, concentrate on today, and then forget that it ever happened, okay?"

"Fine, but we're going drinking tonight and then I get the full story," Melinda replied.

"You're paying and it's a deal," Phil offered.

"Deal," Melinda replied and slipped out of the office.  

Phil sighed and glanced at the clock, there were still a couple hours until the signing started and he expected that Clint would show up just on time for that.

*

Clint normally made it to the bookstores early.  He liked to get a feel for the shops and maybe slip a few signatures into C.B. Hawk's and B. Archer's books.  He also had the vague plan that he'd talk to Phil before the signing.  

Unfortunately, his alarm didn't go off (sex and writing made him forget things like that), so Natasha had to wake him.  He'd gotten ready as fast as he could, but they were running behind schedule even before they'd encountered the long line when they stopped at Tim Hortons to grab muffins for breakfast.  In the end, they managed to make it there early, but Melinda had wanted to go over a few more things and Clint had barely even seen Phil, much less talked to him.

Clint had his game face on now, an easy smile as he signed books and talked with people.  There were a couple of gifts from fans and an amazing picture that someone had drawn based on one of his earlier works. He loved his fans, he really did.

"Hi!" the next man in line said, arriving at Clint's table with a large gift bag.  The man was scarred and bald.

"Hi," Clint said.

"I… I have a favor to ask you," the man said.

"A favor?" Clint asked.

"Yes, you have the same editor as the glorious B. Archer," the man said.

"I do…" Clint agreed, hesitantly.

"I need you to give her this," the man said, setting the gift bag on the table.  "She got me through the roughest patch of my life."

"Yeah?" Clint asked.

"I don't think I'd have survived Bea Arthur's death, if not for B. Archer," the man went on.  "Her books sustain me and now all I long for is a simple signed photograph.  Though if she wants to meet, my address and phone number are all in here."

"There's more than just an address and phone number in there," Clint stated, frowning at the man.

"Well, yes, they're tokens of my affection to B," the man said.

"Uh…" Clint hesitated, unsure of what to say to that.

"Wade!" Phil's voice suddenly interjected.  "What are you doing?"

"Well, since you brought in the mediocre Barton, when you could have the wonderfully talented, amazingly brilliant, expert of the written word, B. Archer.  I.. I am making do," Wade stated.

Phil stared at him.  "What are you talking about?"

"He asked me to deliver this package to B. Archer," Clint explained, pointing at the bag with his pen.

"It's the least you can do," Wade sniffed.

"Because I'm so inferior?" Clint asked.

"Exactly!"  He beamed at Clint, before looking at Phil.  "See, he understands, Coulson. We're fine, go do your big bad bookstore owner thing.  I think I saw some kids folding the corner of a page to use it as a bookmark."

Clint could feel Phil's eyes on him.  It was curious, asking about Wade's statement.

"I'd feel a lot more comfortable if I knew what was in there," Clint admitted.

"Tokens of my affection," Wade stated.  Then he held up a finger and growled. "Not for you!"

"That's enough Wade," Phil said, coming around.  "I think it's time for you to go now!"

"But, he hasn't agreed!" Wade said, moving to get away from Coulson only to run right into Melinda.  He shrieked and darted the other way.  Clint watched as the two herded him to the door.

"Huh," Clint said, glancing at the bag.  He eyed it suspiciously, before grabbing it and setting it down on the floor.

"Sorry about that," Phil said, as he reappeared.  "Wade, Wade is our Bow-mantic."

"Yeah, I got that," Clint said.

"Do you want me to get rid of that?" Phil asked, indicating the bag.

"I'm curious as to what's in it," Skye said, showing up behind him.  "We can open it and look while you're eating."

"Eating?" Clint asked.

"Yeah, it's lunch time. I was coming up to get you, but well Wade…" Skye said.

"Wade?" Clint asked.

"He's amusing and pretty harmless," Skye explained.  "I wanted to see what he was doing here."

"Skye encourages him," Phil said.

"He's actually a pretty good poet though," Skye argued. She glanced at Clint and added.  "I follow his blog."

"Ah," Clint said, standing up and stretching. He considered the line, before he started speaking up loud enough for everyone in line to hear him.  "Alright, I'm going to come back and sign things, but I start making spelling mistakes if I don't eat and Natasha tells me I eat with my mouth wide open and it's disgusting.  So I will be back, just give me like fifteen minutes to eat."

"He'll be longer than that," Phil said, waving him toward the back.  Clint let himself be guided, because Phil was behind him and that meant he could talk to Phil.  He ducked into the back and saw that a table had been set up, and subs were spread out on the table.  Natasha was already eating. He turned to talk to Phil and found that the other man hadn't followed him into the back.

"Clint?" Natasha asked.  "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Clint said, quickly.  "Everything's fine." He turned and settled at the table, grabbing a sandwich and digging in.  He steadfastly refused to meet Natasha's concerned looks.

*

Phil had intended to avoid Clint for the whole day that he was signing…well, at least as much as he could.  However, Leo had spotted Wade in line and Wade showing up at an author signing was an oddity.  Wade was a Bow-mantic and as far as Phil knew, besides reading B. Archer's books, he only read books about Bea Arthur.  Phil had gone to investigate, but unfortunately, by the time he'd gotten out there, Wade was already talking to Clint. He had drifted closer to overhear it, because he had a feeling that Wade was going to cross the line, which he did and Phil was forced to have him removed.

He'd escorted Clint to the back after making it clear to those in line that Clint was going to take a decent time to eat.  Then Phil had gone to eat.  He wished he was surprised when Skye had reported that Clint had eaten quickly and gone back out there, beating even his estimate of fifteen minutes. 

Phil debated going out and saying something, but decided not to.  He didn't want to talk to Clint and he knew it was mostly a pride thing. It had hurt to be ignored and Phil had slipped out, wanting nothing more to do with the man.

"So," Melinda said, slipping in.  "The crowd is letting up."

"Good," Phil said.  "It's almost closing time."

"And you've caught up on all the paperwork," Melinda said.

"It needed to be done," Phil said. 

"Do you want to talk to him?" Melinda asked.

"No," Phil said, after a moment.  "I really don't want to."

Melinda considered it all.  "You should head out. I can close up. It was my thing after all."

"You sure?" Phil asked.

Melinda nodded.  "I'll pick you up later for our talk."

"Thanks," Phil said as he stood up and started grabbing his things. Melinda had already left the office.  He slipped out, catching sight of Clint smiling at one of the customers.  Phil watched him for a long moment until Clint glanced up and met his eyes.  They stared at one another until the woman said something and drew Clint's attention back to her.  Phil continued watching him for a minute or two and then headed toward the back to slip out of the building.

*

Clint slammed the door to the car with far more force than he needed to.  Natasha arched an eyebrow as she started the car, but didn't say anything.

"Phil left early," Clint said as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"Did things not go well last night?"

"I… I messed up and I wanted to apologize," Clint said.  "And now I won't get a chance."

"You could call?" Natasha suggested.  "Email?"

"Only number I have is the shop and I doubt he'd take my call," Clint said, eyeing the window.

"Write him," Natasha suggested.

"I don't have his email." 

"Snail mail to the store," Natasha suggested. "You'll at least have been able to apologize."

Clint considered it.  "I guess, worse that happens is you never hear from him, which is what's going to happen anyway."  He nodded. "Yeah, I can do that."

*

Phil finished reading the letter and stared at it. It wasn't what he'd been expecting when he'd picked up the mail. He reread it and then read it again. He put it away and decided that it was best to wait a night. Tomorrow, he would make his decision.

*

`Clint,`

``

`Apology accepted.  I'm not sure what I want our relationship to be or really what it can be.  I hope that for now, you'll be okay with just exchanging emails and we can figure out what our relationship is as we go.`

`Phil`

*

Clint glanced at his phone, checking for an email that wasn't there.  He had hoped that Phil would email him back sooner rather than later. He usually got a reply back within a day, but he just wanted to hear from Phil after the shitty day he'd had.  Just as he set it down, it started ringing.  He picked it back up and frowned at the number he didn't recognize. It wasn't like the day could get any worse, so he swiped his finger across to answer it.  "Hello?"

"Clint?"

"Phil?"

"Yeah."

Clint smiled.  "I thought you just wanted to email."

"I did," Phil said.  "But you sounded like you needed someone to talk to."

Clint leaned back into the couch. "Yeah, it was kind of a bad day."

"So, talk to me," Phil instructed.

"Well, I would, but my day just started looking up."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, this guy I really like. He called me," Clint said softly, "Just because he thought I was having a bad day."

Phil made a strange noise.  "That sounds like such a line."

"It's not a line," Clint replied. "I've been smiling since I realized it was you on the phone."

"Clint Barton, I think you missed your calling as a romance writer."

Clint laughed softly.  "You really want me to tell you about today?"

"Yes," Phil said.

"Okay," Clint said, settling into the couch to tell him all about his bad day. He made a mental note to make sure to save this number.

*

Clint smiled as he slipped into Phil's bookstore.  Months of emails, phone calls, and texts had led to this, an actual visit, with an actual dinner date planned. He slipped between the racks and headed toward the YA section.  Sometimes he liked to sign a few books of his pen name, because he never did signings as C.B. Hawk or B. Archer.  He made it to the YA section, which was thankfully deserted.  He grabbed a random book of his and signed it in his signature purple ink.  He tucked it back on the shelf and grabbed another one to sign.  He tucked the pen in his pocket and headed to the counter.

Phil and Melinda were there along with Skye. He headed straight toward them, unable to keep the bounce out of his step.  Melinda caught sight of him and gently elbowed Phil.  Phil smiled when he noticed him and Clint couldn't help but echo that smile.

"Hi," Clint said, stepping up to the counter.

"Hi," Phil said.  "You're early."

"Tasha kicked me out, I didn't want to wait," Clint admitted.  "Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Phil said.  "I don't…"

"You can go," Melinda interrupted

"Yeah, we can watch the store," Skye added.

Phil glanced between them, before sighing.  "I guess, I can go."

"Great," Clint said.

"I, uh, have to go to the store," Phil said.

"The store?"

"Grocery store, I was going to make you dinner," Phil said, blushing slightly.

"Yeah?" Clint asked.

"Yeah," Phil agreed.  He stepped around the counter.  "Let me grab my coat."

"I'll wait here," Clint said, glancing at Melinda. 

Phil wandered away.

Clint glanced at the two girls that were staring at him.  "Is this where you threaten me if I hurt him?"

"Phil's his own person," Melinda said.  "He can make his own choices."

"And do you agree with them?" Clint asked.

"It doesn't matter, if I do or don't," Melinda replied.

Clint nodded.  "I'll do my best not to hurt him again."

Melinda regarded him with a cool look, but eventually nodded.  Clint hoped that it was in approval.  It didn't take long for Phil to return and lead Clint out.  He was looking forward to this.  It was another step in the direction that Clint hoped they were heading toward.

*

Phil nuzzled happily into Clint's shoulder as he rolled over to spread himself across the author's chest. He could feel Clint's hum of pleasure and Phil smiled into his chest.

"Phil," Clint rumbled.

"Clint?" Phil murmured, looking up at him

"Thank you," Clint said, one of his hands landing on the back of Phil's neck.

"For what?" Phil asked, following where Clint's hands guided.  

"For the second chance," Clint murmured against his lips before kissing him.

Phil smiled.  "I forgave you a while ago."

"Yeah, but I kinda…" Clint said, trailing off.

"You wondered if we'd ever get back to this point?" Phil summarized. Phil was surprised by Clint's blush and quiet murmur of agreement.  Phil kissed Clint again.  "I thought that we were always headed here, just rebuilding, making something even better."

"A lasting relationship," Clint stated.

"A relationship built on more than just physical attraction," Phil added.

Clint smiled, kissing Phil again.  "I like that idea."

"Because you're a closet romantic," Phil replied, one of the best things he'd figured out about Clint.  

"When it comes to you I am," Clint agreed.

"Flatterer," Phil murmured, arching into Clint's touch as it slid down his spine. He shuddered as Clint's fingers slipped between the asscheeks.  

Clint's eyes lit up at that sight.  "You like that?"

"Yeah," Phil agreed,  "But you wore me out."

"You don't look very sleepy," Clint said, hands sliding up.

"Maybe really good sex energizes me," Phil teased.

Phil recognized the look that crossed Clint's face.  He was close enough now to see the gears suddenly start turning in Clint's head.  Last time, Phil wasn't paying enough attention, but now he was.  Phil pulled back when he saw Clint's eyes dart towards where his laptop was sitting.  His attention turned back to Phil and he smiled at him.

"It must," Clint said, but it sounded forced.  He tugged gently on Phil, trying to get Phil to move closer again.

"You got an idea," Phil said, letting himself be pulled in.

"Yeah, but I promised you," Clint said, nuzzling at Phil.  "I'm not going to make the same mistakes."   _I don't want to mess this up_ went unspoken, but Phil still heard it.

"What happens if you don't get it down now?" Phil asked.

"I… I have a tendency to forget about them," Clint admitted softly.

Phil stared at him for a long moment.  "You could tell me about it, I'll help you remember."

Clint considered it, "Maybe, I'm just…I don't know how well that would work…"

Phil leaned in and kissed him quickly, making a decision.  He slipped past Clint's grabby hands.

"Phil?" Clint questioned, sounding so very lost.

"I'll be back," Phil assured.  He grabbed Clint's laptop and set it on the bed, before he returned to it and Clint.  "Trust me?"

"Yeah," Clint said.  He let Phil rearrange him, before Phil settled with his back against Clint's chest.  Clint nuzzled at the back of Phil's neck as Phil opened the laptop on his lap.

"I can be your hands," Phil said.  "I'm pretty good at typing."  He felt Clint rest his chin on his shoulder.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Clint asked.

"I don't want you to forget your ideas," Phil admitted.  "I also don't want to be left alone. This seems like a compromise, so long as you don't mind telling me ahead of time."

"I trust you," Clint said.  "You won't spoil my fans."

"Course not," Phil agreed, resting his fingers on the keys.

Clint nuzzled at Phil's neck, before speaking straight into Phil's ear.  Phil typed, listening, and putting it all on the screen.  

When the laptop notified them of an almost dead battery, they hurriedly got to a good stopping point. Phil saved the work and closed the lid, setting it aside.

"You know," Phil said, tucking it away.  "That doesn't seem like your usual work. It's… far more romantic."

"Yeah," Clint agreed, laying back down and tugging Phil with him. "I might need another pen name, can't write straight romance when I've got a sexy guy on my lap."

Phil paused, looking at Clint.  "You write romance?"

"Paranormal romance, yeah," Clint said.

Phil studied him, thinking over what Clint said.  "You have a pen name."

"Actually, I've got two right now."

"Two?" Phil repeated.  "Who?"

"C.B. Hawk and B. Archer," Clint replied, eyes closed.

Phil stared at Clint as he realized just how prolific of a writer Clint was.  He leaned down and kissed Clint, sliding his tongue into Clint's mouth when the other man made a happy sound.  Phil pulled back.  "You are amazing."

Clint smiled. "Must be if I got you."

"Yeah, now I'm believing you're actually B. Archer," Phil said, settling himself against Clint's body.  He wasn't too surprised when Clint wrapped an arm around him, keeping him close.  It made Phil feel wanted. 

*

_Wade just caught me reading a B. Archer novel._

_Were you invited to local meeting of the Bow-mantics?_

_I'm almost afraid of how you know such a thing exists_

_Because Wade sends B a copy of their agenda and notes from their monthly meeting_

_Your fans are scary_

_I'm aware._  
 _What were you doing reading a B novel, anyway?_

_I decided I want to read all your work and Wade caught me_

_Sorry, I should have probably warned you that Deadpool shops at your store_

_Deadpool?_

_Wade's online handle_

_How do you know that's Wade's online handle?_

_Because when he gave me the bag, he posted a comment to B's blog that he gave Clint Barton a gift for her._

_I forgot about that bag._  
 _Do I want to know what was in it?_

_Well, Deadpool thinks B is a woman, so its really…_  
 _lacy_  
 _and not fit for public eyes_  
 _I could wear it for you next time I see you_

_*anime nosebleed*_

_ROFL, has Skye been teaching you internet things again?_  
 _putting it in my suitcase now_

_Maybe…_  
 _*wonders if he can get away this weekend*_  
 _*gets shot down by Melinda* :(_

_:(_

_Maybe Dick Grand can come visit you_

_Dick Grand? Please tell me that's not your pen name for your homoerotic novel_

_*scratches it off the potential list*_

_I think you better come visit, so I can help you choose a good pen name_

_Not for the lacy underwear?_

_Well, I won't mind, if you bring that as well_

_I'll see what I can do_

**Author's Note:**

> The author's pic was embedded in the original tumblr post, but I didn't want to do that for AO3 so [have a link](http://uofmdragon.tumblr.com/post/64589030887).
> 
> In case you have a hard time reading the letter that Clint sent to Phil or the image didn't load, here it is without the fancy font.
> 
> Dear Phil,  
>  That sounds really formal and kind of old school, but hey I'm writing a letter, and that's kind of old school too. I don't have your email and I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't take a phone call from me. So, I'm writing a letter in the hopes that you'll read it. I mean, you can always look at the signature and toss it. I would understand why you would. I hope you won't though.  
>  I suppose I'll get to why I'm actually writing this. I'm sorry for leaving you to write that night. I just get ideas and I need to get them out. Words are easier; they've been my friends for a lot longer than anyone else. That doesn't excuse my getting out of that bed and leaving you alone there for hours. I shouldn't have done that, but it's been a long time since I didn't put those ideas down right away.  
>  I made a second mistake that night, I got caught up. I lost track of time, because I actually started writing that story. I ignored you, which I really shouldn't have done. I'm really sorry about that. I don't have any excuse for that… Really, I don't have much of an excuse for any of it. I am sorry for both of those things. I can't promise that it won't happen again, but I will promise to do my best not to let it happen again.  
>  If you've read this far, then you have a couple options. You can ignore it and you'll never hear from me again. I'd, of course, prefer to hear from you again and to that effect, I've included my phone number and my email. Feel free to text, call, or email. I'd like to hear from you again. I enjoyed our night together and I enjoyed dinner as well. I think you are intelligent, kind, and amazing. I enjoyed our conversation together over dinner, and I'd like to have more conversations with you.  
>  The ball is in your court, Phil. I really like you and I'd like to get to know you better. I'd understand if you don't ever want to hear from me again, but I hope we can at least be friends. I don't dare hope for anything else. Whatever your decision is, I will respect it.
> 
> Hope to hear from you soon,
> 
> Clint


End file.
